


Not often what you think

by littletechiebird



Category: Marvel, Young Avengers
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-30
Updated: 2012-03-30
Packaged: 2017-11-02 18:26:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/372003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littletechiebird/pseuds/littletechiebird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When it comes to someone important, everyone always wants to be perfect. For Teddy, it’s Billy Kaplan that he wants to be perfect for, and he’s willing to try almost anything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not often what you think

In every person’s life, there’s a time where they want to be the just the right person, absolutely perfect. It may not always be for the best, or even for the right reasons, but it’s an impulse that rises at least once, if not every now and again. For most, it tends to be a story that almost ends up as a stereotype for kids in high school who want some kid to like them, usually someone in the popular crowd. Someone who they want to be a friend, or maybe a little bit more. But then again, just because that’s the stereotype doesn’t mean it always applies. 

Teddy Altman’s case was the perfect example.

A blonde boy, average student, shy, decent at sports. He had eyes that were always on him, having achieved some kind of popularity somehow. It wasn’t to say that he was the most popular guy in school, but being on any kind of sports team got a guy noticed, doing well on it got him well liked. That was as far as he had gotten. But while he had gotten some attention, it hadn’t been from the one person he’d been hoping for. There had been a couple small victories — a smile in the hallway, or a couple times when he did something stupid he had even gotten a grin and a chuckle. But those moments had been the ones to get him hooked. Those had been the ones to bring him to this point. Billy Kaplan was the one who had brought him to this extreme.

Standing in front of the mirror in his bedroom, he began to scrutinize himself. Blonde was the stereotypical hair color that seemed to go with popularity but.. what if Billy liked redheads? Or brunettes? Or maybe his hair was too long.. Maybe it was the piercings. Was he too muscular? Or not muscular enough? Not thin enough? Or it could have been that he was too tall.. Maybe not tall enough? Then there was the point of his eyes. Was blue okay? Maybe brown was better. Or green. Hazel? Eyes could be such an important part after all.

…It all was, actually. 

Just what was it that would be “attractive” in Billy Kaplan’s eyes? 

It was something he was determined to know. He had to. This was the boy who he had deemed to be the treasure hidden away in their school. It was a ridiculously crowded public school, so it was easy to pass a classmate on the streets and have never seen them in the halls to know that they were a classmate to start with. But this boy had managed to catch his eye again and again. It was just the little things because he was not a loud person in the least. Somehow he had become attuned to the musical sound that he had learned to be his laugh, and the warm tone that was his voice. He was learning his personality from afar at first. He noted compassion, intelligence, and a sense of humor that dripped with sarcasm. It intrigued him. What made it nearly unbearable to hold his position a ways away was the fact that he was a nerd. He was a nerd in the most wonderful sense of the word because somehow, it seemed as if they shared in the same obsessions and addictions.

Learning these things had been something crucial, or that was what he had told himself, so that he could better learn how to shift himself to please the boy that was the object of his affections. Yet, as he stood in front of the mirror with his unforgiving reflection staring back, he was at a loss. He knew what he wanted to say to Billy Kaplan, but not who he wanted to be or how he wanted to look.

With a pout that was quite akin to a frown, the blonde pinched at the bit of skin that was poking out from the otherwise linear form. It was his “cookie pouch”, as his mother had put it. She’d called it adorable, and told him not to be bothered by it. What she did not understand is that he couldn’t keep from being bothered by it when so much was at stake. First impressions could not be re-done. 

When he finally spoke to Billy it just had to be perfect.

So, Teddy came up with a different plan of action.

Over the next few weeks — and they were agonizing in every possible way — he experimented. He would shift, just a little. He experimented with his hair first, after all, people dyed their hair all the time! His eyes would seek out the boy who was the whole cause of the experimentation, seeing if those eyes would catch him and give him any kind of insight as to what he was doing right, or doing wrong. But, if nothing else, as they passed in the hallway he would earn a glance, and nothing more. Each and every time, it made his heart sink for a moment before he simply immersed himself in making the decision on what he would change that night, and that it would just be a process. He would figure it out. He had to have a way to please him. Even if he was going about this all wrong, he just didn’t care. He didn’t mind. He wanted a chance.. He needed a chance.

But then he thought of something. What if it wasn’t just hair color? Maybe he should’ve changed the shape of his face as well. The width of his shoulders, too. Even his hips. It mattered. It affected how one looked to someone else. So that had to be added to the list too.

Teddy continued to try. It may have been a long shot, but he would have regretted not trying at all. 

The options were dwindling fast. As he started to get to the end of his mental list, he started to get nervous, and even discouraged. Just what was it that he was doing wrong? Or maybe he’d read Billy all wrong. Maybe he just didn’t like guys. Maybe he was just one hundred percent straight and he had no chance no matter what he did. Shaking the thought from his mind, he couldn’t accept that without exploring every option.

Going to school the next day, he was brunette, his face a little slimmer, as well as his body, while his height was just an inch or so increased. The changes had all been subtle, just so he could shrug off any questions from anyone who paid close enough attention to wonder. As it came to the end of the day though, he was left being discouraged yet again. Today had been only a slight bit better. The glance had been a stare, and he had seemed to be questioning something or a moment or two before his attention shifted away again. It was an improvement in a way, but he wasn’t sure it if was enough. He wasn’t even sure if it was good.

Walking down the front steps of the school, he was already trying to think of what else he could do. As he turned towards home, a hand shot out to grab his wrist and tug him away from the flow of students to the side of the school building. His eyes had widened in surprise and that feeling did not fade as he saw just who had pulled him aside. A slightly smaller brunette boy with dark intense eyes stared at him with a knowing expression coupled with amusement. “You’re something else, Teddy Altman. You don’t make things easy on a guy.”

But he was still to busy staring dumbly to respond. He was finally talking to him.. and this had not been how he wanted to do it. But wait, Billy had been the one to initiate it. Why? Wait. What had he said? “Wha—”

“Then again, I should probably be flattered.. and I am. Definitely am.”

Had he missed some part of the conversation? Maybe blacked out and managed to stay on his feet? Or had his mouth started to speak without him knowing?

“Teddy..?” It seemed he had roused some kind of concern from the boy that stood opposite of him, waiting for an actual intelligible answer.

“S-Sorry. It’s just.. I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” And at this moment, he really didn’t. 

Even so, Billy watched him long and hard, making sure he wasn’t just trying to get away with something. Of what? Teddy wasn’t sure of that either.

“We both know..” He tried, seeming to make an attempt at nudging him on in admitting whatever it was that he was supposed to know.

“..We do?”

But in stead of getting frustrated, Billy just chuckled and smiled, shaking his head. “Then I guess I’ll just say it.” 

Billy took a step closer, breaking the boundary of acquaintance, and friend, to something that would insinuate more. “Let me share a secret with you, Teddy.” Rising onto the balls of his feet, he leaned towards Teddy’s multiply pierced ear, beginning to whisper. “I like you for who you really are.” And when he settles back on his feet properly, Teddy is wide-eyed and flushed.The only thing he can think to say, or even manage to verbalize at all, was shaky.

“Would you.. want to go out?”

Dark brown eyes seem to sparkle at the request.

“Will you look like you?”

Something about that question makes Teddy’s heart flutter inside of his chest. He mutely nods as a response. 

“I’d like that.”


End file.
